Learning about the Different Apples

Random photo of an apple with strawberry leaves… Because they were on the counter, so might as well.

So back in the day—up until not so long ago, really—I had, well, basically no idea what was the difference between the different apples. I used to think Red Delicious were a good idea, until I met an appalled David who paid special care to emphasize his disdain for Red Delicious. I guess Snow White was indeed a cautionary tale? So Dave wanted to share his full agreement with the following xkcd comic:

xkcd’s Apple Spectrum – Comic # 1766

I guess whether or not some apples are indeed better than others is a matter of personal taste, but you do have apples that are better for pie baking, for example. I wish we would’ve written down Bartlett’s store clerk’s advice on which were the apples that make for the ideal apple pie apples. But alas, I didn’t. I seem to recall—~94% sure—he said it was Granny Smith apples, which were at the time not in season. Granny smith are actually one of the most popular choices for baking. Midwest Living has several other suggestions for your apple pie needs with some interesting combinations, and here’s the fun hands-on experimenting from Serious Eats.

And now, the quick story behind Maria Ann (‘Granny’) Smith, of whom I was reminded by my father-in-law over Thanksgiving week:

Maria Ann “Granny” Smith. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Back in 1868 Australia, Maria Smith had come across an apple seedling growing by a creek on her property, which had developed from the remains of some French crab-apples grown in Tasmania. She began to work a few of these seedling trees, and soon, a local orchardist planted out a large number of them, from which he marketed annual crops. Though the apple was not a commercial variety in her lifetime, its cultivation was sustained by local orchardists, and by 1891-1892, ‘Granny Smith’s seedlings’ had begun to win prizes in the cooking-apple class, with several local growers exhibiting the apples. Their large scale production began in 1895, followed by export and unto the kitchens of the world!